Spotted Canary Blog

Opening the pages of a book has always felt magical to me. It is as if I am entering another world and living the adventure of the characters in the story. Halloween and all the costumes makes me think of all my favorite storybook characters. If you think about it, Frankenstein and Count Dracula were book characters before they were Halloween costumes.

I still love the smell of library books and the feel of them in my hands. I guess it is natural for me to want to create with them.

Second-hand stores and garage sales are wonderful sources for finding inexpensive books with which to create. My local library saves old Reader’s Digest books for me to use at no additional cost.

This Halloween was no different. I went to my stash of old books and pulled out some good ones. 

 I displayed skeleton fingers on an opened medical book.

•  I cut a window in a book, added a thrift store frame, spray painted it Pink (of course), and added some silly creatures. 

• My favorite book this year became a book of spells. I cut through many pages to create a place to store candy. I chose Halloween paper, but you could create yours to look like a library book. What a tickle your guests will receive when they see you open an old book and offer them a treat! 

• Another cute idea for a library book is to create a place to store recipe cards. Create the candy dish but leave a hole the size to fit index cards with your favorite holiday recipes. You could create a book for each season or even a book for a wedding shower where the guests each leave the future bride a yummy recipe.

I hope I am “reading your mind” correctly, and you can see the benefits of crafting with old books.

 Happy Halloween!

For more ideas on altering books, click HERE and HERE.

~Kara (Studio Pink) 

Halloween costumes for me growing up were synonymous with the words natural disaster. There was the unfortunate Miss Piggy characterization, complete with clay snout that I’m now sure emitted some sort of brain cell killing toxin because I haven’t been the same since. And then there was the recycled dance recital hula skirt and top that never saw a jack-o-lantern candle flicker because it was 40 degrees that year and my mother insisted I wear a long coat. The next morning I still woke up sick from exposure, and without even the slight hint of a self-esteem boost from my elderly neighbors’ annual “you’re so adorable” comments. I was doomed to year after year of costume disappointment. So as I got older, I dreamed of redemption; redemption through my own posterity (seriously, who hasn’t done this). I dreamed of elaborate, handmade Halloween pieces that my children would proudly parade in. Costumes that their friends would be jealous of and their friend’s moms would admire for their sheer creativity and craftiness. Well, a girl can dream.
 
Fast forward to Halloween 1994. My son is a little over a month old and is in no way bothered by the puffy pumpkin get-up my husband and I made him wear. I mean, isn’t it a requirement that all babies are to be dressed as lil’ pumpkins on their first Halloween? I’m sure I read that somewhere. Moving on to 1998, our boy is now four, and Halloween becomes a bit of a cathartic event for him. For the past two years he has been terrorized by car washes but as the spooky season approaches he starts asking to be one for Halloween. What miracle of miracles has occurred? My husband and I try not probe too much into the “how comes”. First, for fear that he will change his mind and second, he’s four, will there really be any rational reason?
 
My redemptive plan began to formulate in my head. My brain went into overdrive as I designed a costume that showcased all the elements my son was fascinated by and wanted to include, but that would also fit his required clothing parameters (those were the infamous elastic waistband years). As you can see from the picture, it was a work of craft foam genius! And are you just not amazed at the brilliant use of fringed metallic table skirting as the agitators?
 
 
 
I could hardly wait for my son to show it off at his pre-school parade and our church’s annual Trunk-or-Treat. I was giddy with anticipation for all the oohs and aahs my creation would generate. But as they say, pride cometh before the fall. The costume was worn once. And even then it was under much duress. There was crying, wailing and, I’m sure if I look back on the video, gnashing of teeth (yes, I’m not very proud of how I behaved). The 1998 Car Wash was my swan song. My only stab at Halloween costume redemption. And even then, it was cut short by the whim and temperament of a four year-old.

It has been eleven years since that experience. Our boy has never worn a full costume since. His dad and I tried all sorts of costume combinations and even bribery, but all to our avail. We’ve both had to face the fact that our child just doesn’t like to dress up. So over the years, I have done what every level headed mother would do. I pouted. I let Halloween come and go without a fuss. There have been some years when the only sign of the season was a plug-in jack-o-lantern on the doorstep. Somehow, looking back on things now, I am remiss at how I just gave up the dream. I should have instead adjusted my expectations and found another way to make those family connections. Because really, that’s what it’s all about, connecting with your child. The costume is just a catalyst. The hours spent planning, procuring and preparing the costume all add up to a shared experience between the two of you. How could I not see that for all these years?
 
What would I do differently, you ask? I’d have dinner parties. My son is a bit social. Not on a grand scale, but having small groups of family and friends in our home makes him happy. So I’d have him help me plan and prep for yearly, informal Halloween gatherings filled with fun party décor and favorite festive foods. He could help as much or as little as he wanted with the décor items. Craftiness, he says, is not his strong suit. But whatever level of assistance he was willing to give would be fine, because it would mean just that many more minutes shared with him.
 
So as part of my reflective Halloween journey I came up with some examples of party décor that would be fun to create with kids. Even a teenage boy. I started with an inspiration piece, a black plastic charger plate I found at the crafts store. The black shininess got me thinking of spiders, bats and witches hats and so from there the projects just evolved. 
 

 

I used two sheets of shiny poster board to make three witches hats for the centerpiece. 
 

 
The brims are not attached for easier storage.
 

 
They were basically made by wrapping pie shaped pieces into cones and securing with double stick tape. The bands are all different, varying from cut squares of pattern paper, to punched pattern paper circles and pom-pom bats.
The leftover poster board was used to make the place card base. I embellished it with more pattern paper, another pom-pom bat and puffy letter stickers.
 
 
 
After a slight trim with the pinking shears, the black paper treat sack was transformed into a flatware caddy. Embellished with a strip of pattern paper and a pom-pom spider, the caddy is a fun way to dress up an otherwise plain white plate. 
 

 
To finish dressing the place setting, I went back to my inspiration piece and used a paint pen to write a repeating message that just peeks out from under the plate’s lip.
 
 

Next I sat my son down at the kitchen island and placed some paint pens and a blank charger plate in front of him. Here’s what he came up with.
 

 
It may not be the 2009 edition of a car wash costume, but it represents ten minutes of shared time with him. I plan on taking all the party décor with us to our friend’s house for Halloween dinner. This is when my redemptive plan finally comes to fruition. I know they will ooh and aah over all the projects and I will swell with gratitude for the lesson learned by trading costume parties for dinner parties.

~ Elizabeth (ekb)

Driving through neighborhoods this Halloween season, you might notice something many homes have in common besides displaying a wreath or a pumpkin.  Have you seen photo copies of a ghost that says “BOO” taped to front doors?

  In our neighborhood, this is a Halloween tradition which we call “A BOO Gram.”

What is a “BOO Gram”?

It is a mysterious note and candy gift left on a neighbor’s door.  It reminds me of the May baskets that were left on doorsteps a long time ago. 

• First you ring the doorbell

   

• Then leave your gift

   

• And run!!!

   

Your neighbor should not know who the gift is from.  Oh, my children love this.  They try so hard to figure out which neighbor sent them goodies before Halloween.  It is the talk of the block.

What should be in the Note?

The note is usually a poem and comes with a ghost icon to attach to your front door.  The ghost decoration is a way to let your neighbors know that you have been “Boo-ed” and which neighbors still need a friendly greeting.  There are many examples of the note online. 

Here are a few:  

www.myfolsom.com/boo/

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Start-the-Halloween-Boo-in-Your-Neighborhood

I wrote my own note to my neighbors.  I wanted my note to say thank you for all the nice things that they seem to do for me all year long -- all the times they have helped me transport my children, picked up my newspapers and mail while I am out of town, or have brought me yummy banana bread because they baked two. 

 Here is what my note says:

This SWEET SURPRISE is called a “BOO”

 And although you don’t know “WHO” sent it to “YOU,”

It comes full of many “Thank YOUs”

For all the times you have helped us and watched over us in that neighborly way “YOU DO!”

Enjoy the treats and please continue to spread the “BOO.”

Directions: 

1. Please “boo” two people in your neighborhood.

    

2. You should “boo” these people within two days of receiving your “boo.”

    

3. Hang the ghost on the front door to show that you have been “boo-ed.”

    

4. Fill two bags with candy and copy this letter and the ghost two times.

    

5. Don’t let the neighbor see you — keep the suspense of wondering which neighbor sent the “boo.”

    

6. Place the treat bag on the doorstep.

    

7. Ring the doorbell and run!

    

It will be fun to see how many ghosts appear on neighbors’ doors.  Keep it safe and enjoy the Halloween season!

What Kind of Goodies?

Think of the neighbor you are “booing” and make or purchase their favorite dessert or snack.  Beware of food allergies.  For example, if a neighbor is allergic to peanuts, be sure to read the packaging on each item.  You will be surprised that even though the food contains no peanuts, the pot it was mixed in may have had peanuts in it.  My children and I have a tradition of making pretzels dipped in melted candy bits and sprinkled with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and Halloween sprinkles.  It has been a tradition for us.  For some neighbors with young children, make a basket for each of their kids.  It might contain a Halloween coloring book or a flashlight from The Dollar Store that they could use Halloween night.  The Dollar Store is a perfect place to gather a few goodies without spending a lot of money.

Packaging your Goodies?

• Soup cans:  Clean out old soup cans.  Make sure there are no sharp edges around the lid area.  Wrap them with paper and add stickers, rub-on’s, or a cute computer printout for decoration.  Create a ribbon handle or use a pipe cleaner for a handle.  Place tissue paper inside the container and fill with candy.

• Cereal boxes:  Cut the cereal box so it looks like a purse with a handle.  Cover it in patterned paper and embellish the box with paper punches or glitter.

• Paper towel roll tubes:  Fill the tube with your goodies.  Wrap the tube with tissue paper or patterned paper.  Tie the ends of the paper together with ribbon or twist tie a pipe cleaner to close the tube shut. 

• Lunch sack:  These come in an array of colors and sizes.  You can find value packs of lunch sacks or even buy them individually.  Decorate the outside of the sack and add hole punches for a ribbon closure.

• Chinese take-out boxes:  These are similar to lunch sacks.  They also come in a variety of sizes and colors.  For a pattern to create your own Chinese take-out box, click HERE!

    Oh, the ideas are endless.  Whether you purchase a container or create your own, enjoy the magic and mystery of the Halloween season by spreading some good cheer to your dear neighbors.

Happy Boo-ing!

 ~Kara (Studio Pink)

Lately I have been experimenting with cupcake recipes and icing techniques.  I am still far from perfect but I'm having a blast trying!  I wanted to make a special cupcake display to share with my coworkers for Halloween.  I own a wire cupcake stand that I use for most parties and events.
 
 
 
But I wanted to craft it up a bit - make the display creepy and crawly for the Halloween season.  I thought of making a new stand from scratch, but I knew there had to be a premade option out there that I could decorate and then reuse.  I was elated when I found a Wilton 4-Tier Stacked Dessert Tower.
 
 
 
I am in love!  This stand is perfect as-is; the layers stack within one another for easy storage, and give ample room for 36 cupcakes when assembled.  The tiers are slightly angled so that your cupcakes are perfectly displayed.  Because the tower has plastic tiers rather than wire cups, you can also display other items such as brownies, appetizers, fruits or cheeses.
 
But as a paper crafter my favorite part is that this tower is a blank canvas!  You can wrap each tier in paper to match any theme, then remove it and start all over again!  This tower will hold a special place at all my future parties!
 
For Halloween, I wrapped the risers between each tier with a furry flocked spider paper from the Martha Stewart Crafts Mad Scientist paper pad.  A complementary pattern lines the base of each tier.
 

 
I could have just filled the tower with cupcakes at this point for a fun and creative display.  But I wanted to really make a statement!  I created creepy cupcake wraps that look amazing, but were surprisingly simple to create.  Simply trace the template available here onto double-sided paper and cut out.  Then punch one edge with a decorative corner punch and wrap around your cupcake!  Your guests will be amazed by the intricate wraps - and only you will know how little time or money it took to create them!
 

 
Add the wrapped cupcakes to the decorated display tower for a stunningly spooky display!
 

 
As quick and easy as these ideas are, if you are in a time crunch and still want a creative Halloween display, check out some of these and other creative premade cupcake items Wilton:
 

 

 
What creative ideas have you used to decorate and display cupcakes?  Post your ideas in the comments here and be sure to post your projects in the gallery!

Halloween is generally all about the costumes, the candy and the whole “trick or treating” thing. Yes, I can relate because I have children, but I also want them to know that Halloween can and should be so much more than that. I have pushed myself so far this month to come up with fun, crafty projects that all three of my kids can be involved in. Hopefully by me sharing these fun times, you will be inspired to try some of the suggestions I will give.

What child doesn’t love to get messy in the kitchen? My kids think they have hit the jackpot when I invite them to help me stir up muffins, cookies, brownies or anything sweet. They act truly interested until I am done with the mixer and the beaters are begging to be licked clean!! I decided to bake cupcakes and let them all decorate them with colored icing and colorful toppings. They had an absolute blast, and what made it even more fun was the “contest” I made up for them! I created several categories and told them that there would be awards for each cupcake that fit into one of the categories. They really got into it and put their whole hearts into their sugary masterpieces!! My youngest got the award for sticking her finger into every one of the finished cupcakes! 

Another fun activity I decided to do with my children was to take them on a “field trip” to a local pumpkin farm. We studied the pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn, talked about how we thought they were grown and about how they developed their colors. We purchased several sizes of pumpkins and brought them home for painting. They had so much fun coming up with their own creative ideas for what their pumpkin would “turn into!!” My oldest daughter knew before we even purchased them what she was going to make, and I was amazed at how perfectly hers turned out. She bought three smaller pumpkins and made them into a snowman.

When it comes time to carve the pumpkins, we always make a large supply of roasted pumpkin seeds. The process is rather tedious, but the results are yummy! After cleaning the seeds out from the inside of the pumpkins, we wash them – EVERYONE helps! The seeds are placed in a thin layer on several baking sheets and then we add a small amount of salted water to the base of the pan. Everyone gathers at the 200 degree stove to place the pans in the oven, and then the waiting begins! We usually go back to the carving while we wait. The roasting takes a little over two hours until they turn golden, but the consumption takes much less time when they have cooled! It’s always a special treat each year.

I am glad to share some of my creative family traditions with you and hope that this inspires you to make more out of Halloween than just dressing up! Happy Halloween!

~ Karen (Kabby) 

Cast a spell over your home to create Halloween magic on a not-too-scary budget.

Mix up in your cauldron:

1 cup creativity
A dash of delightful crafts
And a heap of inspiration

Let simmer in your mind as you read some of my favorite, inexpensive ideas to add the frightfully fabulous to your home! 

• Your planting pot that held lovely summer blooms is the perfect container to recycle and create a spooky, haunted tree. Find a tree branch that has blown to the ground when you are on a fall walk. Spray paint it. For extra fun, sprinkle the branch when it is wet with black coarse glitter. Create paper bats to hang on the branches, or simply add fake crows for an eerie Edgar Allen Poe look.

• Sweet Candy Corn isn’t only for eating, it makes jars look festive. Add gummy worms and black licorice to create creepy candy jars. I also use bouncy ball eyeballs found at the dollar store and bags of plastic bugs to fill my jars. A great place to find an assortment of jars is the thrift store. Most thrift stores carry rows and rows of jars or flower vases which would also work. 

•  Clear candle holders with tea lights in them shine on Halloween when they are filled with candy corn. Wrap candle holders or mason jars with vellum or tissue paper cut-out faces for a bewitching glow.
  

• Decorate pumpkins:
  
  o Glitter
  o Rub-on’ (families name, house number, or initials)
  o Stamping a design
  o Disguise with a festive mask
  o Using a stencil and paint
  o Rhinestones
  o Paint the pumpkin with chalkboard paint and write a spooky message
  

• Inexpensive boo pumpkins are perfect place card holders for a party. Simply add a little slit for your place card and send the pumpkins home with the guests. 

•  Use brown lunch sacks to create a forest of spooky trees. Using a black ink pad and black embossing powder, turn the trees into the color of midnight. Add spooky guests like bats hanging in the trees or owls hooting on a branch.

• Shutters bang, cats screech, and bats fly through the air in this one of a kind haunted table centerpiece. Recycle cereal boxes, toilet paper tubes, and macaroni and cheese containers to create a frightfully fun haunted house. Choose your materials and let your creativity soar. Have each member of your family build their own haunted house and display a village inhabited by spooky trick-or-treaters. Enter if you dare to the construction challenge.

Warning: These projects are addicting. You may find yourself trying more than one!

Happy creating!

~Kara (Studio Pink)

Here we are in October already, and my mind quickly turns to the annual holiday of Halloween. I’ve decided to dedicate the next two posts to this sugar-filled, spooky celebration, and hopefully give you some inspiring ideas for decorating and kid’s parties.

Now that two of my three kids are old enough to entertain themselves, I am finding a few more “pockets” of time to work on crafts. Recently, I have been creating non-spooky Halloween items for decorating. This past summer, I did a work related project using a Funkin Pumpkin, so I bought a few of them to mess with this Fall. I decorated one of them to look like a black cat . I couldn’t resist due to the fact that black cats are so tied to Halloween, and I am part of the CAT (Creative Artist Team) and we call ourselves the “Cats!” These pumpkins are great projects to do with kids. My daughter scooped up my extra Funkin and created her own masterpiece! It made for an enjoyable afternoon of crafting together!

The next example I am sharing is a pair of candlesticks made out of mini terra cotta flowerpots. I painted them to resemble candy corn, stacked and glued four of them together, and added a votive candle to the top. They were very simple to create and will add a whimsical touch to the table this Halloween, especially with the black cat Funkin in between them! I can hardly wait to have friends and family over for dinner!

The last piece I did was a large orange glittered pumpkin to use as a door decoration  or wall hanging. I purchased the flat, wooden cut out from a local craft store, and used lots of orange glitter to cover it. I created the dots with beads of craft glue covered with black glitter. Although it was a little messy and a bit monotonous dotting all the glue spots, it was quick and fun, and will make a sparkling impression to those who enter my home this season.
 
 
 
 

Hopefully some of you will have an opportunity to try these ideas before Halloween arrives! Click on the photos to link to the instructions and supplies list!

The recent chill in the morning and evening air fills me with a new adrenaline and energy to create! The colors that blend so well, representing the earth with all of their tones and unique hues, begging me to combine them and make them into beautiful pieces of art that capture the season. The crisp leaves falling softly to the ground, waiting for their moment to be collected into towering piles – big enough for my children to jump and play in!! Ahh, Fall. One of my most favorite times of the year!

Whether it’s picking apples at a near by orchard, or taking a long walk to soak up all that Autumn has to offer, I will make any excuse to be out and about in nature. I love to study leaves, as they are one of the main elements in my visual library. I have drawn them to the finest detail with pen and ink, charcoal and in color, and have made numerous rubbings of them to use in paper crafts and layouts. The photos included in this post show different techniques I have used to incorporate leaves into my layouts. A few of them also show ideas for creating backgrounds.
 
   
 


The first example is made from leaf rubbings. It’s easy to do, and the rubbings can be made using chalk pastels, colored pencils or graphite. Another way to create a good pattern is to rub over the paper covering the object with a bone folder and then lightly brush an ink pad over the surface to color the peaks on the paper. Try combining an interesting array of rubbing textures with Fall patterned papers to accomplish a stunning scrapbook page!

Another fun way to enhance Fall photos is weaving fall colored cardstock strips to create a base page or background. Choose colors that correspond with your photos and determine what size strips you want to use. Weave the colored strips to create symmetrical spaces and definitive lines in your layouts. I like to do smaller sizes to use as photo mats, too!

I did a layout that includes leaves when my oldest child was a baby. I embossed some of them using metal stencils, chalked them with Fall colors and adhered them to the page. I also drew tiny leaves with colored pencils, and cut them out with a craft knife. The third photo shown is of an actual leaf that I applied to layered cardstock squares to finish the series of leaf accents in the layout. This is still one of my favorite layouts to this day!
 
 
 
 
 

 leaf detail 
 

These are only a few ideas that may inspire your layouts to document this Fall season. I hope that in the weeks to come you can get out, soak in the colors, take lots of photos, and enjoy the splendor of Fall!

Happy Crafting!
~ Karen (Kabby )

As a crafter, I get stuck in a rut for ideas. I am always in need of inspiration to jump-start my creativity. One way to eliminate my struggle for new ideas is to create an inspiration board. It can be just the catalyst needed to get my creative juices flowing and to move through my creative block.

 

What is an inspiration board?
It is simply an idea board filled with magazine clippings, computer printed pictures, photos, or swatches of fabric. It is an area designed to hold anything that inspires you to create.

Types of inspiration boards:

• A simple cork bulletin board.
• An old window without the glass panes, strung with wire and clothes pins to clip your inspiration onto.
• A thrift store frame and some fabric.
• A clothesline strung along the wall…make it low in a child’s room so they can clip up what they love.
• A chalk board or dry erase board for writing words, titles, or quotes you love.
• A magnetic board for easy removal and adding to the board (try a large cookie sheet with magnets or start with your refrigerator door).
  

 
Inspirational board rules:

There are NO rules...

• Inspiration boards are an easy creative outlet.
• They add color and texture to any room of the house.
• Each member of the family can have their own board. Dad can even have his in the garage filled with projects he wants to build.
• The boards are very inexpensive to create and bring great pleasure to the person displaying it.
  

 
Ideas for themes to change your inspiration board:

• Seasonal boards that reflect favorite projects or layouts for the upcoming holiday.
• A word wall filled with quotes, words, and titles.
• Artwork you love and that gets your creative muse going.
• Photographs that you connect with or need to scrap…looking at them each day will suddenly give you an idea or two on how to use them.
• Color palettes you love…maybe your board will be colors from the sea and then colors of fall.

 
Whether you are a sewer, scrapbooker, painter, or planning your wedding, inspiration boards will rejuvenate your creativity and keep you excited about new projects. They give you a designated place to slow down and appreciate beauty in everyday things.

Check out my inspiration board project, and some fun push pins to adorn it!  Do you have an inspiration board? Post it to the Spotted Canary Gallery. Sharing boards is an inspiration to us all.

~ Kara Ward (Studio Pink)